Modi’s US visit: Here is how US media covered the PM’s trip

New York Times

Modi’s visit to the US came next only to the unfortunate implosion of a Titanic-research submersible on the New York Times‘s homepage on Friday, with its biggest story headlined “Biden Seeks to Bolster Ties With Modi While Soft-Pedaling Differences.”

“President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India during a lavish state visit on Thursday, publicly skirting points of friction over the government’s crackdown on human rights in India and Russia’s war in Ukraine,” it stated.

The NYT article further opined that Biden “showered him (Modi) with expansive flattery” while making no evident progress resolving the disagreements – such as India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine war – which have been straining India-US ties.

(Screenshot: New York Times epaper)

Washington Post

A day after Modi addressed the US Congress at the White House, leading daily Washington Post stated in its article that Modi’s applauding of India’s democratic values during his speech appears contrary to the criticism his government is receiving.

“While addressing a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his country is ‘the mother of democracy’, comments that stood in contrast to his critics’ claims that India’s government has undermined democratic principles,” the WaPo story said.

The daily covered the PM’s visit extensively, allotting a special feature in Friday’s print edition to it. An article headlined “Biden defends India’s democracy as Modi visits” said that the US president was “praising an Indian leader who had been widely accused of overseeing a series of repressive moves in his country.”

(Screenshot: Washington Post epaper)

On the grand state banquet hosted in Modi’s honour, WaPo wondered why “no one fun” was invited, questioning if “Modi is too controversial a leader for celebrities to clink glasses with? Or maybe it was to signal that this dinner was about serious diplomacy, as India’s profile rises on the world stage.”

(Screenshot: Washington Post epaper)

Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal featured a picture of Modi and Biden on the first page with a story attached on eighth.

(Screenshot: WSJ epaper)

In its article, “Biden Hails Stronger U.S. Ties to India in Meeting With Modi,” the WSJ observed that the arms deals made between Modi and Biden aimed at weaning India off arms purchases from Russia. “The two countries’ move toward greater cooperation stems from India’s strategic importance in the U.S. campaign to counter China, as well as American interest in stifling Russian influence in developing nations.”

USA Today

“For nearly a decade, Narendra Modi wasn’t allowed to set foot in the United States. But times, titles and political agendas change,” the USA Today, a middle-market daily, noted in its piece titled “Red carpets and yellow yoga mats: Five moments from Indian PM Modi’s state visit.”

The article remarks that the Biden administration has been embracing Modi more closely as it seeks to counter China’s global influence with India’s help.

(Screenshot: USA Today website)

CNN

An article by US-based news network CNN noted that the Indian PM’s visit required President Joe Biden to make certain trade-offs and Modi to step out of his comfort zone, for at least a few minutes during their joint press conference.

Alluding to Modi’s fielding of one question on discrimination against Muslims in India at the White House presser, the CNN story said, “It was a remarkable moment for a leader who does not hold news conferences, takes no questions from the press and hasn’t sat for an international interview. Press freedom groups say he’s overseen a crackdown on reporting.”

(Screenshot: CNN website)

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